By training research professionals, establishing and maintaining standards for clinical research and patient care, and assisting clinical investigators throughout every phase of clinical trial development and implementation, the OCD/CCR acts as a resource for the CCR's translational and clinical research program. The goal is to provide investigators and clinical research teams with the infrastructure necessary to study new therapeutic and diagnostic approaches to cancer patients - to prolong life, enhance an individual's quality of life, and improve the public health. In addition, the NCI/CCR Quality Program is a systematic, integrated and ongoing process for the design, measurement, assessment and improvement of organizational performance. The program provides structure for a variety of CCR activities to improve the quality of patient care and research activities throughout the center. NCI/CCR promotes continuing education and training in the pursuit of improving organizational performance. Benchmarks, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and outcome measures are tools that we have used to structure the CCR wide Quality Program.